Gender Inequalities In the Workplace: Artifacts
'Mad Men' is a TV show, which portrays the business of the agencies, as well as the personal lives of its characters. It regularly depicts ethos because we see the changing moods and social mores of 1960's America, which we all know was the start of the women's rights movement. We see in this video how the men think women should dress and behave, even though they are in the same workplace setting. Although we have come a long way since the 1960's, you can see from this artifact that the struggle for equality still persists. The article, "Rationality and Society" has expressed that, "The consequence of gender segregation at home and at work is persistent gender inequality, including a continuing wage gap between employed male and female workers, gender-differentiated opportunities for employment and advancement within occupations, and a doubling of the labor women provide others when they add work outside the home." Bielby (1993) This article touches on the fact that even if women are lucky enough to have these corporate jobs, most of the time they still are being treated unequally when it comes to wages. As well, a book titled, "A multi-cultural Economic History of Women in the United states", which has addressed "the biological sexes are assigned distinct and often unequal work and political positions, and turned into socially distinct genders." Amott (1999) The pathos in this particular artifact, causes the listener to sympathize for the working women. This commercial places women on a certain standard below men, and that they are there to look good and make men happy. It can be shocking to most people how the corporate world can be for women, for example, how the narrator was stereotyping Peggy Olsen. |
Anne-Jorunn Berg's (1995) article, "Feminism and Constructivism: Do artifacts have gender?"has stated, "Today, women are present in office organizations and hospitals where dramatic technological change is taking place. But with constructivism, the focus of technology studies has moved another step 'upstream' to the laboratories and technical institutes. Women again have disappeared from the 'interesting' field of study as research has moved to new arenas where women are scarcely present." This article suggests that, yes, although we have clearly improved, we have not exactly progressed our equalities at the same rate as the workplace. A bold example of this can be seen in the book, "Barriers to Gender equality" which have used an old cigarette commercial to convey the truth with women in the workplace. "You've come a long way baby". "Yet women are still denied full equality in the workplace. Even though they can now secure powerful professional, academic, and corporate positions once reserved for men." This add is a perfect resistance to gender equality and is almost making fun of women. We see the perfect girl, on a cigarette add, which can be interpreted as mocking. This represents logical appeal because in reality we have come a long way since the 1960's, but there is still room for improvement in gender equality in the working field.
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Overall, since the 1960's the workplace has improved for women, there are more women CEO'S, and managers of corporations, however, that does not exclude the fact that there is still major work to be done. Although we have progressed, women still have clearly not gained full equality in the workplace, and is an issue that is not going un-noticed, as we can see in the advertisement from the show 'Mad Men'.
References:
Amott, T. & Matthaei, J. (1999) Race, Gender, and Work: A Multi-cultural Economic History of Women in the
United States (Revised Edison). South End Press.
Berg, Anne-Jorunn. Lie, Merte. (Summer 1995). Feminism and Constructivism: Do Artifacts Have Gender?
Retrieved from: http://www.jstor.org/stable/690019
Bielby, Denise D. (July 1, 1993). Rationality and Society: Explaining Stratification and Inequalities in the
Workplace and the Household. Retrieved from: http://rss.sagepub.com/content/5/3/367
Gregory F. Raymond. (2003.) Women and Workplace Discrimination: Overcoming Barriers to Gender
Equalities. Retrieved from: http://books.google.com/books
References:
Amott, T. & Matthaei, J. (1999) Race, Gender, and Work: A Multi-cultural Economic History of Women in the
United States (Revised Edison). South End Press.
Berg, Anne-Jorunn. Lie, Merte. (Summer 1995). Feminism and Constructivism: Do Artifacts Have Gender?
Retrieved from: http://www.jstor.org/stable/690019
Bielby, Denise D. (July 1, 1993). Rationality and Society: Explaining Stratification and Inequalities in the
Workplace and the Household. Retrieved from: http://rss.sagepub.com/content/5/3/367
Gregory F. Raymond. (2003.) Women and Workplace Discrimination: Overcoming Barriers to Gender
Equalities. Retrieved from: http://books.google.com/books